Hand baggage



C. S. MILLER Oct. 30, 1962 HAND BAGGAGE Filed Nov. 5, 1959 IN V EN TOR.

United States Patent ()filice 3,661,057 Patented Oct. 30, 1962 3,661,057 HAND BAGGAGE Charles S. Miller, 6303 (Irittenden St, Philadelphia 38, Pa. Filed Nov. 5, 1959, Ser. No. 851,162 3 Claims. (Cl. 19044) This invention relates to hand baggage, and, more particularly, is concerned with improved hand baggage composed of complementary interlockable but separable luggage units.

One of the primary objects of the invention is to make it possible for a person carrying hand baggage to alter very easily and quickly the effective luggage capacity of such baggage; and preferably also to enable this to be done at a minimum of cost, complication and weight; and the invention further contemplates the accomplishment of the foregoing by the provision of complementary interlockable but separable luggage units, one of which constitutes a readily-portable basically-complete luggage enclosure adapted for the releasable attachment of other luggage units.

Through the provision of such hand baggage the user is enabled to use the basic luggage enclosure alone under certain luggage requirements, and by the ready attachment of another luggage unit or units thereto, is enabled to increase the luggage capacity under greater luggage requirements.

More specifically, the invention contemplates the provision of a basically-complete luggage unit having quickly detachable fastener means for the releasable attachment of one or more additional luggage units to provide for additional storage capacity; wherein such additional unit is a 5-walled member adapted to be completed by one of the side walls of the basic unit, when the two are fastened together.

Still further, the invention contemplates the provision of hand baggage of the above-specified character, wherein, although the basic unit preferably has its bottom wall rigid, so as to maintain the shape of the unit and to give support to it and one or more supplementary units, the latter unit or units are readily foldable or can be rolled up so as to be stored or carried within the basic unit when not in use; and wherein the side walls of the basic unit are of flexible material to facilitate the operation of zippers for securing the basic and supplemental unit or units together.

Other objects and advantages have to do with the particular arrangement of the fastener devices and of handles for the units as will be apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein FIGURE 1 is a perspective view illustrating a main luggage unit with one supplementary side unit attached to one side thereof and also showing a second supplementary side unit positioned adjacent to the other side of the main unit and unattached;

FIGURE 2 is a detailed cross sectional View illustrating two side units attached to the central or main unit; and

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view showing the manner of rolling a side unit into a compact bundle or package.

Referring to the drawings the hand baggage comprises in general, a main or basic luggage unit 10, two supplementary side luggage units 20 and 24, and means for readily and quickly attaching and detaching the side units to the basic unit.

The main luggage unit is of elongated, generally rectangular form having side Walls 13 and 14, end walls 17, a top wall and a bottom wall 29 of thickened or reinforced construction. The top wall is provided with closable access means such as a zipper 11 of well known form, and with suitable handles 12, 12. Thus the basic luggage unit It constitutes a readily-portable basicallycomplete luggage enclosure.

In addition the luggage unit 10 is provided with means at its side walls 13 and 14 for enabling quick attachment and detachment of the supplementary side units for increasing the luggage carrying capacity of the hand baggage. Either one or both of the side units may be attached in accordance with the amount of extra capacity desired.

The quickly detachable means just referred to for the side unit 20 comprises a zipper element 15 secured to the unit 10 and extending substantially completely around the periphery of the side wall 14 of the unit 10, and a mating zipper element 15 secured to the unit 20 and extending substantially completely around the periphery of the facing open side of the unit 20,

In this connection it will be seen from inspection of FIGURE 2 that the side luggage unit 20 is of elongated, generally rectangular form similar to the form of the main unit 10 and comprises one side wall 21 only, two end walls 28, a bottom wall, a top wall, a handle 22 secured in place as by means of rivets 23 and the mating zipper element 15, above referred to, which extends around the respective peripheral open edges formed by the top, bottom and end walls. The handle 22 is shown broken off at the top (in FIGS. 2 and 3) but is shown in full in FIG. 1.

The zipper element 15 of the unit 10 is provided with a pin 30 for receiving the slider 31 (see FIG. 3) carried by the mating zipper element 15 of the unit 20, when the unit 20 is to be detachably secured to the unit It} in the well known operation of zippers. With the unit 20 attached in place the side wall 14 of the main unit 10 becomes a closure for the open side of the unit 20 and at the same time provides a positive separation of the two luggage compartments.

The other side unit 24 is of like construction to the side unit 20, i.e., it has one side wall 25 only, two end walls 27, a top wall, a bottom wall, a handle 26 and one zipper element, of the zipper 16 shown in FIGURES l and 2, extending around the respective peripheral open edges formed by the top, bottom and end walls.

In order to facilitate operation of the closure zipper 11 of the main luggage unit 10, suitably located holding tabs 18, 18 are provided and similar tabs 19, 19 are provided to facilitate operation of the attaching and detaching zippers of the side luggage units 2 0 and 24.

Reverting now to the handles 12, 22 and 26 of the units it will be observed that the handles 22 and 26 of the supplementary luggage units 20 and 24 are formed with larger loops than the handles 12 of the basic luggage unit 10, thus enabling them to be brought into juxtaposition with the handles 12 for convenient grasping of all of the handles by one hand of the user when the units are attached together.

The supplementary luggage units 20 and 24 are constructed of readily foldable or rollable material. This is particularly advantageous in that whenthey are not in use as supplemental luggage bodies they can be folded or rolled into a compact bundle or package as shown in FIGURE 3, so as to take up little storage space, and to enable them to be carried in the basic unit 10. Also this makes for flexibility of handling when manipulating the zippers in attaching the supplemental units to the main unit. Preferably the side walls 13 and 14 of the basic unit are also made of similar flexible material to facilitate operation of the zipper devices.

It will be seen from the foregoing that through the practice of my invention the luggage capacity of the main luggage unit can be very substantially increased by means of complementary interlockable but readily separable units of such character that they require but little storage space when not in use and thus are not burdensome to carry along as spares, so to speak, to meet a demand for additional luggage space. On the other hand when the need for the extra luggage space no longer exists the supplemental units can be easily and quickly detached and folded or rolled into a compact bundle for storage, or for carriage within the basic unit.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Hand baggage comprising a plurality of complementary interlockable but separable units, one unit being an elongated, generally rectangular, main luggage body having a bottom wall, a top wall, two end walls and two completely spaced-apart side walls, with closable access means in one of said walls, and with handle means at the top wall, so as to constitute a readily-portable basicallycomplete luggage enclosure, and having in addition a quickly-detachable fastener device extending substantially completely around the periphery of a side wall, and another unit being a five-walled supplementary luggage body of flexible, foldable material, comprising a similarly elongated, generally rectangular, member having a bottom wall, a top wall, two end walls and one side wall only, with handle means at the top wall, and further having fastener means extending substantially completely around the peripheral open edge formed by the top, bot tom and end walls of said supplementary luggage body and cooperating, when associated therewith, with the first-mentioned fastener device around the periphery of the aforementioned side wall of said main unit; one side wall of the main luggage body forming a closure for the supplementary luggage body associated with it, and the handle means of both bodies being adapted to be brought into juxtaposition, for grasping by one hand of the user, when the two bodies are secured together.

2. Hand baggage according to claim 1, wherein the last-mentioned side wall of the main luggage body is of flexible material to facilitate operation of the quicklydetachable fastener means, and the bottom wall of said main luggage body incorporates a thickened floor mem bar adapted to maintain the shape of the base of the main luggage body and to serve as a support for said main body and supplementary body.

3. Hand baggage comprising a plurality of complementary interlockable but separable units, one unit being an elongated, generally rectangular, main luggage body having a bottom wall, a top wall, two end walls and two side walls, with closable access means in one of said walls, and with handle means at the top wall, so as to constitute a readily-portable basically-complete luggage enclosure, and having in addition a quickly detachable fastener device extending substantially completely around the periphery of each side wall, and two side units, each being a five-walled supplementary luggage body of flexible, foldable material, comprising a similarly elongated, generally rectangular, member having a bottom wall, a top wall, two end walls and one side wall only, with handle means at the top wall, and the side units further having fastener means extending substantially completely around the respective peripheral open edges formed by the top, bottom and end walls of the said supplementary bodies, and respectively cooperating, when associated therewith, with the fastener devices around the peripheries of the respective side walls of said main unit; each side wall of the main body forming a closure for the supplementary luggage body associated with it, and the handle means of all three bodies being adapted to be brought into juxtaposition, for grasping by one hand of the user, when the three bodies are secured together.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 504,840 Krick Sept. 12, 1893 523,503 Alberschardt July 24, 1894 1,510,815 Adams Oct. 7, 1924 2,131,583 Crotty et al. Sept. 27, 1938 2,290,090 Bracken July 14, 1942 2,334,895 Bracken Nov. 23, 1943 2,496,128 Lifton Jan. 31, 1950 2,536,169 Gray Jan. 2, 1951 

